Due to the climate causing more breedings and a lack of resources in rural parts of the state, shelters are always facing an influx of pets that need homes. It wasn’t until a storm rocked everyone’s worlds in Texas that we’d find a solution on how to help save these deserving lives.
The idea was born out of Winter Storm Uri. Pets needed to get out of Texas — fast. Their lives were at risk and the clock was ticking. It was then that APA! - with its national outreach arm American Pets Alive! - set out on a mission to get 1,000 pets out of Texas into warm homes safely, and that we did.
In a matter of just four weeks, we hit our goal with our 1,000th pet being an adorable cat named Charlie. Charlie traveled all the way from Laredo, TX to KC Pet Project in Kansas. His journey up north was made special by having a first-class seat in a private plane flown by our volunteer pilot friend, David Nelson. Once he landed at KC Pet Project, it was only a matter of days until he found his forever home. Read how he found his family once he landed in KC.
The success of this mission opened the door for a new idea. Why would we stop at just 1,000 lives when we could continue to save pets from all over Texas who are facing death? APA! could act as a pit stop for these pets while they await the transportation that would take them to various states across the country. And so, the APA! Hub Transport Program was born.
Our transport team connects with shelters in Texas that are facing a lack of resources and space which often lead to the unwanted decision to euthanize their animals. Now we’re able to provide them with an alternative. Northern shelters often face the opposite problem. Due to the weather, in the winter months, many shelters have rows and rows of empty kennels with lines of people waiting to adopt. There’s no reason animals should die in the south when there are people waiting to adopt a shelter pet in the north.
“The APA! Hub Transport Program embodies the true spirit of Austin Pets Alive, through innovation, resourcefulness and the constant dedication to lifesaving,” says Clare Callison Maddie's® National Director of Pet Supply & Demand. “Through this program, we are able to bring our hard-working Texas shelter partners into the national pipeline of support. It means so much that we are not only saving the lives of cats and dogs in Texas shelters, but we are helping to connect adopters to the love of a shelter pet, no matter where they live in the country!”
All the faces you see here are animals that were saved thanks to your support of our transport programs. Whether it was by bus, plane, train, or car, these lives found their second chance in loving homes all across the United States. They were welcomed with open arms as people lined up to bring them home.
As of yesterday, 2,228 lives have been saved through the Austin Pets Alive! Hub Transport Program and American Pets Alive! transport work. Lives that were once going to end before they had a chance to even begin now get a fresh start in a new state. Together with you, we can ensure that no pet in Texas ever gets left behind. Rush a donation now to ensure pets like these pups get the chance to be rescued from euthanasia at rural, overcrowded shelters and adopted in homes. Your gift will be DOUBLED until December 31, thanks to a generous $100K matching gift, so don’t wait to become a lifesaver today!
